Chapter 5: The Prohibition Protest
1702 Words
A month had passed since Snow arrived in this world through time travel.
In the beginning, each day felt like a year. She was panicked and unsettled by everything around her. Yet she was a strong, independent woman. As time passed, she gradually learned to adapt. Even when terrified inside, she had to hide it all before others, pretending to take everything in stride...
Though difficult, she slowly got used to it. Following Irene, she interacted with other young women around her, striving to play the role of Snow Anderson who truly belonged to this world!
One day, at her friend Emily's invitation, Snow and Irene accompanied her to a dance.
Letting Irene hold her arm, Snow's eyes wandered everywhere, like a child whose heart remained young and innocent. She was curious about everything around her, wanting to lean in and examine every exotic scene in detail. Her eyes couldn't take it all in!
"Snow, you've changed so much. You never used to like attending these kinds of events. I couldn't drag you out no matter what!"
Compared to that timid Snow, this one who had supposedly lost her memory was clearly much cuter...
"Really? Then I must have wasted my youth in the past!"
Her big eyes rolled, feigning innocence as she looked at Emily. Snow smiled and cracked a small joke, drawing squeals of surprise from her!
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness—serious, reserved beauty Snow actually making jokes?!
Emily's expression was too exaggerated, her screams too startling, causing Snow and Irene to laugh uncontrollably. For a moment, laughter and cheerful voices filled the air. Their surroundings radiated the brilliant radiance unique to young girls, so dazzling and charming...
Yet the next instant, that splendor was completely interrupted by the sudden appearance of a large crowd of protesters!
This was a demonstration. The crowd numbered nearly a hundred thousand, all surging toward Union Square in downtown Manhattan, all there to protest Prohibition.
Startled, compared to Irene and Emily's surprise and curiosity, Snow remained calm.
Pulling their hands, she was about to retreat to the roadside when a car slowly drove around the corner...
"Snow, don't pull me. I want to see."
Tugging at Snow's hand, Emily's eyes were filled with curiosity. Shaking her, Emily widened her eyes and looked back at the protesting crowd in the distance. Not tall enough, she even stood on tiptoe...
"What's happening? Why are there so many people suddenly?"
"From their protests, they must all be against Prohibition."
Like all women, gentle Irene also had a side that couldn't resist a good spectacle. Staring at the procession, she looked solemn like most New Yorkers, even unable to resist commenting softly.
Perhaps everyone has a gossiping side, especially regarding their own environment. They pay even more attention—except, this person definitely did not include Snow!
In her previous life, she had graduated with a degree in art history and ran an independent studio. She had deep knowledge of American culture in the 1920s, including its history...
If she remembered correctly, Prohibition had begun in 1920 and had lasted for five years. Yet speakeasies and bootleg liquor businesses had instead become even more booming. Gangster forces had taken advantage of the situation to rise. This demonstration against Prohibition was precisely the concentrated outbreak of public dissatisfaction with Prohibition!!!
Her delicate brow furrowed slightly. Glancing at the surging crowd in the distance, Snow suddenly raised her head, looking expressionlessly at the sky above.
The sky was very dark, as if about to rain. Yet no matter how powerful the opposing force, no one could stop the coming golden age of gangsters—just as thirteen years later, no one could save the repeal of Prohibition!
Just as Snow raised her eyes to the sky, the black car that had turned the corner was slowly driving in her direction along the roadside...
"Sir, the road is too congested. We can't move at all."
"Stop and observe."
The man's voice was low, calm to the point where no emotion could be heard. With his words, the car stopped just a few steps away from Snow. The window slowly rolled down...
Taking out a cigarette, lowering his head slightly to light it, the man's wickedly handsome face appeared even colder under the pale blue flame, noble and distant.
"Prohibition? That's simply a joke!"
"Yes, people's desire to drink can't be stopped. The more you ban it, the more chaotic it becomes!"
Tightly gripping Snow's hand, as if afraid she might get swept away, Irene and Emily exchanged comments as they watched.
Smoking, quietly listening to the woman outside the window express her views like gossip, a trace of sharpness as an eagle flashed rapidly through his eyes. Suddenly raising his gaze, the man looked outside. At that moment, Snow, who had been expressionless, lightly curled her lips and smiled faintly.
Snow like this was beautiful.
Bright eyes, white teeth, pure and graceful, she stood with her slender body. Unlike everyone else, she looked only at the sky, not at people. Her gaze was faint, her whole body surrounded by an air of quiet elegance, like a fairy beyond the dust, out of place with this noisy world. From afar, she appeared so beautiful and outstanding.
Because she was facing sideways toward the car, the man could only see Snow's profile. That half-face was as lustrous as jade and snow, tinged with a faint pink glow. Under the dark sky, she appeared even more outstanding, with an unreal dreamlike quality.
"Snow, what are you smiling at?"
"Sister, are you mocking Prohibition?"
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and Irene also smiled faintly...
"No, I just feel pity for the crowd before me. They're putting their heart and soul into it, yet only doing useless work."
Shaking her head gently, Snow's voice was soft. Her black hair stirred slight ripples in the air with her movement—a very beautiful scene...
Useless work?
The joints of his two fingers holding the cigarette tightened slightly. Amidst the swirling smoke, the man frowned and stared calmly at Snow. He didn't know why. The surroundings were clearly noisy, with the crowd's protests rising and falling continuously, yet he could still hear this woman's soft whispers very clearly. So clearly that everything around her seemed merely background, merely rendering the background for her!
Suddenly, her voice came to his ears again...
Amidst the chaotic noise, he heard her say: "Prohibition won't be repealed anytime soon. The golden age of gangsters has only just begun."
Her butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered lightly in the air. Snow spoke with particular certainty, causing the man in the car's heart to tremble violently!
He couldn't deny that her words brought him a strong impact. Even he, the heir of the Romano family, couldn't possess such firm certainty about the situation and the future. He wanted to know why a delicate woman like her could be so certain, and moreover, face it with such composure?
Yet a woman like her saw through it so clearly. Was it a woman's intuition at work? Was she foolish enough to rely solely on personal judgment? Or was she... too smart?!
Letting the cigarette burn to his fingertips, his deep eyes narrowed dangerously. The man stared tightly at Snow, like a beast suddenly appearing in a peaceful household—wild and fierce. Even though he made no movement, his gaze was sharp as an eagle, his presence too strong. Snow still keenly sensed it.
Suddenly turning her head, Snow looked straight in the man's direction. Her clear eyes met his in the air, instantly connecting...
She had seen this man before! That night, even though she was deep in despair, she still remembered him clearly. His eyes were very bright, with a glint of light flowing in his pupils—too dangerous. Especially at that moment, he looked like he wanted to eat people, almost making one afraid to look directly at him!
As their four eyes met, his blade-like beautiful thin lips curled slightly. The man suddenly smiled wickedly—so dazzlingly handsome, but because his domineering aura was too strong, Snow's heart shrank slightly. A bad premonition suddenly arose!
This man—what a powerful aura!
"Go."
Giving Snow a meaningful glance, withdrawing his gaze, extinguishing the cigarette butt, the man parted his lips slightly. His low voice vibrated people's hearts in the air, like a spell...
It was just one word, yet why was the sense of oppression so strong?!
"Oh my god! It's actually him!?"
Staring intently, after the car drove away, Emily couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Who is he?"
"He's called Vittorio Romano, heir to the Romano family. He's known as the first ruthless wolf of New York because of his cold-blooded cruelty. He shows no mercy toward his opponents. Everyone says he has a demonic nature—absolutely don't provoke him."
Vittorio Romano.
Reciting it silently in her heart, Snow couldn't help but sigh softly...
Vittorio, in Italian, means victory. It truly matched his temperament!
This man was truly favored by the heavens!
"Apart from that, what makes him so popular in New York is his appearance. Many women are obsessed with him, saying he's the reincarnation of the ancient Greek god of war—flawlessly handsome, cold and wicked, so handsome it's outrageous! In short, all words are praising him."
"So exaggerated."
Pursing her lips, Snow couldn't help but snort softly. Although he was indeed outrageously handsome, there was no need to be so exaggerated!
"What's exaggerated about it? He's just so handsome! I'll never meet another man in my life who can compare to him! Snow, you're so lucky! He actually smiled at you just now! You know, rumor has it he almost never smiles."
Grabbing Snow's arm, Emily grew more excited as she spoke. Compared to her infatuation, Snow appeared indifferent...
Compared to his wickedly handsome smile, she was more worried about that look in his eyes as he left—deep amber pupils, color as intoxicating as aged whiskey, very charming, yet completely without temperature. Like a cold, deep lake, revealing a strong possessiveness, as if wanting to swallow her whole—quite unsettling!
- Writer
